The Zamfara State Government has commenced a special modified medical outreach programme aimed at addressing critical healthcare needs and improving the quality of life of the people.
The modified medical outreach has so far treated 81 cases of eye cataracts and 49 cases of groin swellings.
A statement by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris said, that the special outreach is designed to cover 1,000 patients with groin swellings, 200 with Vistula Vaginal Fistula VVF, and 1, 000 patients with eye cataracts monthly. This brings the total to 28,800 surgical cases in one year.
The first phase of the medical outreach in collaboration with the Office of the State First Lady, Huriyya Dauda is set to provide free medical services to people with cases that require cataract extraction, groin swellings, hernia, hydroceles, Vistula Vaginal Fistula, VVF, and health education.
The statement read in part: “The Zamfara State Government set up a committee of experts that conducted assessments of various service centres in the State to identify the most common surgical problems prevalent in the general population”.
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It says, based on its findings, the committee identified cataract extraction, groin swellings, hernias, hydroceles, Vistula Vaginal Fistula, VVF, and health education as the initial areas of intervention for the first year of the programmme.
The ongoing outreach utilises tele-screening for patients from rural and semi-urban areas to provide specialist care to the needy.
The statement further disclosed that a strategy has been adopted to allow patients to be screened remotely and to receive treatment at designated treatment centres in Gusau, the state capital
The committee had also visited the Drugs and Medical Consumables Management Agency in Gusau and has confidence in its ability to provide the necessary supplies for the outreach programmme.
In his resolve to revive the health sector and out of compassion, Governor Dauda Lawal widened the scope of the programme to cover all the 14 local government areas of the State.
The centres for the outreach are General Hospital Gusau, King Fahad General Hospital, and Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital with all special cases to be referred to the Federal Medical Centre in Gusau.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)